"In Aboriginal culture, we do a ceremony of burying the placenta," Ms Seale said. "It's very significant and connects us to our ancestors and our country."
For centuries the placenta has received ceremonial handling by many cultures around the world. In Western medicine the human placenta is usually regarded as nothing more than human waste. Revered for its symbolism of life, spirit and individuality, it is often buried outside.
In fact, humans are so averse to eating our own placentas after birth that it has not been recorded by any culture anywhere in the world in all of human history. We have buried them, burned them and occasionally sold them as medicine to other people, but as far as we know, we have never routinely eaten our own.
Ober also identified many cultures known to have practiced placentophagy for medicinal purposes, and one for its flavor. The Araucanian Native Americans of Argentina dried and ground a child's umbilical cord, giving the child a little of the powder when it was sick.
In many Plains Indian cultures after a child's birth its umbilical cord was dried and saved as a link between the child's life in the womb and after birth. The cord was sewn into a pouch, often in the shape of a turtle for a girl or a lizard for boy.
In some cultures, burying the placenta connects the baby to land and heritage. Among the Navajo and many Hawaiians, the placenta is placed in the ground to connect the child to his or her homeland and ancestors.
Burring the placenta,-a life organ-in the ground, is done so it can become one with Mother Earth. Mother Earth is our life force. Care is taken with the placenta because connection remains between the child and it.
These are contemporary questions with ancient Jewish solutions. The Jewish Pregnancy Book says that, according to the Talmud, the placenta should be preserved in a bowl with oil, straw, or sand and buried in the earth a few days after the baby's birth to symbolize the cycle of life.
But placentophagy -- the practice of eating one's placenta after birth -- is relatively common in China, where it is thought to have anti-ageing properties, and dates back more than 2,000 years.
While some claim that placentophagy can prevent postpartum depression; reduce postpartum bleeding; improve mood, energy and milk supply; and provide important micronutrients, such as iron, there's no evidence that eating the placenta provides health benefits. Placentophagy can be harmful to you and your baby.
Some people even promote cooking and eating it as a celebration of birth and a source of rich nutrients. In Islam the placenta is buried because it is believed that "from the (earth) did We Create you, and into it Shall We return you” (The Noble Quran, 20:55).
They're not the only ones who've openly sung the praises of placentophagy. Model Chrissy Teigen and actresses Katherine Heigl and Mayim Bialik have also opened up about eating their placenta, claiming that it improved their energy and mood and helped with their postnatal recovery.
Umbilical cord traditions in Japan
In Japanese culture, many believe that the umbilical cord directly impacts the baby's health. So, when a mother gives birth in Japan, the hospital will usually give her a special box to preserve the cord after it falls from the baby's belly button.
In Samoa the placenta must be totally burned or buried so it will not be found by evil spirits. Burying or burning it at home also ensures the child will remain close to home as it moves through life.
An English-speaking aunt of the woman in the room explained to us, “At home, in Mexico, we bury the placenta in the dirt floor as soon as possible after delivery. This guarantees that bad luck will not come to us. Here we will bury the placenta deep in the backyard so no animal will be able to dig it up.
Do Hospitals Keep Placentas? Hospitals treat placentas as medical waste or biohazard material. The newborn placenta is placed in a biohazard bag for storage. Some hospitals keep the placenta for a period of time in case the need arises to send it to pathology for further analysis.
Some people who have eaten placenta say that it's kind of chewy and tastes like liver or beef. Others say that it has an iron taste. If that sounds unpleasant, and you want to try placenta, you might want to consider combining it with other foods or cooking it.
The Hmong people of South Asia believe that a person has a spiritual connection with his or her placenta throughout life.
Some hospitals still sell placentas in bulk for scientific research, or to cosmetics firms, where they are processed and later plastered on the faces of rich women. In the UK, babies are gently wiped dry, leaving some protective vermix clinging to the skin.
Placental tissue is considered part of the human body and should therefore be buried and not incinerated as presently happens in the United Kingdom. If this practice was widely known among the Muslims, they may take exception.
The burial of the placenta and umbilical cord is thought to restore the woman's fertility and help heal her womb. This practice was even recorded in 19th century Sweden harkening back to heathen times.
In fact, they found many cultures with specific taboos against maternal placenta ingestion, and most had traditional practices that included ceremonial burial, burning, drying, hanging or placing in specific locations.
Kourtney Kardashian has eaten her placenta from when she gave birth to her third child, as has Kim Kardashian with her second, Saint. Both sisters had their placentas encapsulated, which Khloé has also said she wants to do.
Katherine Heigl
He took it to his wife who freeze-dried it and turned it into pills."